Pain and Sacrifice
by XxAriadnexX
Summary: Basically what happens during the time when Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth first meet Grover and go to Camp Half-Blood. It may sound cliche, but it's good. R&R
1. Run

_So this is just the beginning of Luke and Annabeth's journey to Camp Half-Blood. I have no intention to make it a long story...but whatever happens, happens in a story lol. It's supposed to be from Luke's eyes..but that could change. What else...oh ya! (Duh) You know what makes an aspiring author happy? Reviews. Please, please, please review. Kk, I'm done talking. Enjoy... XD_

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><p>Luke panted as he charged down the alley. Thalia and Annabeth were close behind. He could hear how out of breath Annabeth was. He short strides took her longer to keep in pace with Thalia and him. He could also hear the unmistakeable noises coming from where they had been running from. The Cyclops were catching up. They needed to move faster, else they had to fight those creatures. Running around Manhattan's allies was hard enough, but with monsters on your tail, it was vigorous. "Come on, we have to keep moving!" He yelled as loud as he dared without alerting the Cyclops who were turning the corner onto Luke's alley.<p>

Annabeth tried to hurry, but she was exhausted. She fell on her knees, tears slipping down her cheeks. Thalia looked at Luke desperately. She couldn't carry Annabeth with her throbbing ankle. Swiftly, he hefted Annabeth onto his neck piggy-back style. Annabeth was slim, but she still weighed a lot. Stumbling, Luke ran down the alley. Thalia was right behind him. The Cyclops, who had been sniffing around the alley, had caught their scent. The fatter of the two bellowed, and they lumbered after the three demigods. Just when Luke thought that they were going to have to fight, a boy appeared in front of them. He wore a fleece cap, a t-shirt, and jeans. He walked over to them kinda wobbly. Luke was impatient; this boy was keeping them from escaping. But something kept Luke from yelling...exhaustion, perhaps. The boy did something that Luke least expected.

He took off his jeans to reveal goat legs..if you could call them legs. Underneath the skater shoes were hooves. Normally, Luke would have been slightly unnerved. But with everything going on, he was simply impatient. "What do you want?" He yelled. "I don't know if you can see them, but there are two Cyclops trying to kill us!" The boy didn't answer. He pulled out a flute, and started playing a song. It was light and happy. Luke looked at Thalia in astonishment..and she shrugged back. He turned to see the Cyclops dancing. Well, more like shaking the entire alley with their heavy steps. To his surprise, he laughed. The sight was just so ridiculous, that he couldn't help it. Thalia was smiling, and Annabeth was laughing with her sweet, little voice. When he was done laughing, he looked at the boy. "What is your name? And who are you?" He asked. "Grover. I am a satyr. And I'm here to help you get to Camp Half-Blood. Are you ready?" The boy said. Luke looked at Thalia. She nodded encouragingly. But he was still suspicious.

"What is Camp Half-Blood?" He asked doubtfully and accusingly. Grover flustered. "Look," He said. "All will be explained later. My magic doesn't last forever. Those Cyclopes won't dance much longer. I suggest you just come with me. Please." Thalia nodded, and started walking toward him. She turned and beckoned Luke with her hands. "Come on, Luke. Get over your distrust. He's okay and we need to go." Luke gritted his teeth, and nodded. "Okay, Grover. However, if you hurt either Thalia or Annabeth, I will personally slit your throat." At that, Grover paled. "I'm not trying to hurt any of you. Please trust me on this. We need to go now!" He turned and ran down the street; Thalia right next to him. Luke ran after them.


	2. Is this a trap?

_Okay, next chapter. I'm happy to say that a few people added this story to their watch and favorites' lists. Thank you soo much. I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Hmm...oh yes. Make sure you review! :)_

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><p>It was hard, running with Annabeth on his back. She was clutching his throat so tightly, Luke thought he was going to suffocate a few times. Especially since he was trying to keep up with Thalia and that Grover kid. Luke still didn't like that <em>satyr<em>... he seemed very unsure of what he was doing. But since Grover had a safe haven, Luke had no choice. The group had gotten about four or five blocks away before the Cyclopes had finished dancing and both roared angrily. The sound gave Luke the extra initiative to keep on running, even though he was exhausted beyond measure. Thalia was limping even more than before, and it bothered him greatly.

They needed to rest somewhere safe for a day or two. He hoped Grover had a good plan in mind. As they bounded down the allies, cats would hiss at them. They were protecting their territory from strangers. Luke wished he had a territory he could protect, too. He had been running for so long, he really couldn't think of what he might be doing otherwise. Finally, Grover called out, "Hold on! Wait! Catch your breath!" Luke stopped so quickly, he almost dropped Annabeth. He looked ahead, and saw Thalia and Grover several feet away, bending over and breathing heavily. He gently let Annabeth down, and stretched his sore muscles.

When he had caught his breath, he decided to speak. "What are we gonna do, Grover?" Luke asked with venom. "Are we gonna keep running away, or do you have some plan in mind?" Thalia shot Luke a glare. She mouthed, "What are you doing?" Grover didn't see their conversation, but Annabeth did. "Um, I do have a plan in mind. I just hope we reach the place in time." Grover said. Without another word, Grover straightened, and started trotting down the alley. He didn't even look back. Annabeth went after him. Luke looked at Thalia, who glared back and followed the others. Luke resisted trusting Grover, but a yell from the fast-approaching Cyclops made him go as well. As he caught up with the rest, Grover started running again. Annabeth didn't need to be carried this time, so she ran too. Grover led them up and down and all over the place, getting who knows where.

Finally, Grover stopped again. He looked down the alley the group had just come from. Now Luke understood why Grover went everywhere he did. He was trying to throw their scent all around so the Cyclopes had a hard time finding them. Hearing nothing, Grover nodded. "Come, on," He said. "We are almost there." They walked down the alley and onto a street. Luke could see all the people going to and from their destinations. But Grover didn't keep walking. He, instead, reached into his jeans, (He had put them back on by now.) and pulled out three gold coins. Then, he threw them into the street. Yes, the street. No-one saw the coins, and kept walking. But as the group watched, the coins sank into the ground. Then Grover mumbled something.

Luke was very confused, and was also a little freaked out. Like, what coin sinks into a street? But, with all the stuff he'd witnessed, he should be used to that by now. Then a yell resounded in the distance. It was the Cyclopes, and they were finally done losing their way in the allies. They had found Luke, Thalia, Annabeth, and Grover. Luke knew that they shouldn't have trusted Grover. It was a trap; they were all going to have to fight, and possibly even die. Luke got his sword ready; Thalia, her bow and arrow, and Annabeth, her dagger. They were ready to fight.

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><p><em>Hey,<em>_ if you guys have any comments, just review. Thx again!_


	3. A taxi cab?

_Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone who added this on their favorites' list. Remember to review and enjoy!_

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><p>Luke's heart was pounding as he readied himself to the Cyclopes' onslaught. He had one goal in mind: to protect Thalia and Annabeth. He was keenly aware of Annabeth's slight quavering, and knew she was scared. The thought filled him with anger. Anger at himself for trusting Grover, anger at Thalia for pushing him into it, anger at Grover for leading them into a trap, and anger at just being alive. And angry for bringing Annabeth into this situation. He and Thalia kept Annabeth behind them, and held the monsters at bay. Brandishing their swords in the monsters' faces, they kept them away a few feet. Grover was still muttering something like a spell behind them. He was completely focused on the street. The slight distraction gave one of the Cyclops advantage over Luke, and hit him on his calf. Luke howled with pain. Annabeth gasped, and Thalia moaned. Luke recovered, and stabbed at the gloating creature. But he wasn't quick enough, for the Cyclops grabbed his sword, and swung it hard. Luke went with the sword, and hit the ground. The Cyclops laughed; the sound echoing down the alley. Luke pulled himself back up, and got into a fighting stance again. He wasn't weak, he was strong and hard-willed.<p>

These two Cyclops were not about take him down; not when he was so close to safety. He yelled, startling the one closest to him, and charged. As he ran, he pulled his shield over him. He ran straight into the breastplate of the creature. The Cyclops balled his hand into a fist, and punched Luke back down. The impact sent him sprawling back over towards Thalia and Annabeth. The pain that followed was so bad, Luke had trouble breathing. His head ached, and he felt sluggish. Grover finished muttering something, and they all watched as a taxi appeared out of the air. Inside the drivers' seat and the passengers' seat were three ugly hags. Luke didn't have the slightest idea what Grover was up to. Grover called out, "Hurry, this way! Into the cab, and let's go!" Luke didn't want to. He couldn't trust Grover again. So he kept advancing towards the two Cyclops, and they eyed him warily. Thalia and Annabeth hurried towards the cab, and yelled at Luke. "Come one, Luke! You can't beat them by yourself! Hurry!" Thalia said. She was right; the Cyclopes were moving quickly towards him, looks of kill written all over their faces. He ran over to the cab. Thalia got in and put Annabeth on her lap, and Luke and Grover slid in after. Then the cab shot down the street at full speed. The hags were all very grotesque; two of which were missing an eye from their single eye sockets. The most unnerving thing was that the driver was one of the ones without an eye.

Their hair reminded Luke of stringy noodles. And when they talked, it sounded like a banshi screaching. Annabeth looked at them with interest, and didn't fear them at all. Luke wondered about that, until he realized that she was sitting in Thalia's lap. Thalia's arms were wrapped around her, and Luke guessed it gave Annabeth security. He saw Thalia was very exhausted though, and offered to keep Annabeth on his lap. Thalia readily agreed, and Annabeth didn't mind the switch, but when she sat down on his lap, his injuries protested the extra weight. It made him grimace, but he could handle it. Luke smiled at how he treated them both like his family. To him, they were the only things he had left.

He didn't know why they attracted weird monsters, or why his mom was a freak, or why his dad never came to visit him when he was little, but he knew he would make things better for Thalia and Annabeth. Thalia dozed off to sleep, and so did Annabeth. He looked at Grover. The satyr was relaxed and looked at him questioningly. "Where are we going?" Luke whispered. "To a safe place." Grover said. "And for your injuries, here is some ambrosia. Eat it sparingly." Grover handed him a square of something sweet-smelling. Luke took it, and nibbled on it. It tasted like his favorite food..cookies. His mom used to make them when he was little. Instantly, his injuries started healing, and he could breath better. He listened to the girls' sleeping for a while before going to sleep himself. The cab's tossing made it difficult, but eventually sleep took him.

He had a dream; a bad dream. Or more correctly, a nightmare. He only saw darkness, and heard whispers coming from everywhere. Luke stumbled along in his dream, trying to find something. He didn't know what. Then the whispers and darkness changed to a battlefield. It was full of teenagers, killing monsters similar to what Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth had been dealing with. Yells were heard all over, and teenagers and monsters alike were falling down because of injuries. Then one of the monsters came toward Luke... "Luke!" Thalia yelled. He woke up hazy and disoriented, but he could hear her. "Wha?" Luke mumbled, because his tongue wouldn't work right. "Luke get out! The Cyclopes are back! We are only a mile or two from the place Grover was taking us..come on!" Then she shoved him out of the cab and onto the ground.

Finally, the effects of sleep went away. He saw the cab right behind him screech away. Grover was playing a song on his flute thing, and Annabeth was holding her dagger with a wary expression on her small face. Thalia helped him up, and said, "The Cyclops are only a quarter mile away; we need to go." Grover stopped playing and turned towards them. "Hurry!" He said, beginning to run. Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth followed his example. As they ran, Luke looked at the surrounding scenery. They seemed to be on a big hill, and a beach seemed to be nearby. The crashing waves could be heard, even from where they were. He had no idea where they were. How long had he been sleeping? And where were they going to? That place, that place called Camp Half-Blood.


	4. Thalia

_Sorry about taking so long. This chapter is the most eventful one, I think. It probably is also the longest. Hope you like! **Please** **review. **_

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><p>They were running; it was hardly new. To Luke, it seemed like he had run from things all his life. He had never really known where he was running to. It was the same thing this time. He was exhausted from all of the running he had done before, and running up hill didn't help. Why was this hill so big? He looked over at the others. Thalia was panting hard behind him, Grover was moving rather quickly for one with hooves, and Annabeth was running far behind. She looked really tired. Suddenly, she stumbled over a rock, tripped, and fell down. Annabeth clutched at her foot in pain. Luke stopped and ran towards her. He could see the cyclops not too far behind. Now he was starting to panic. "Are you okay, Annabeth? Can you walk? We really need to keep moving." He said. Annabeth looked up at him. She was trying so hard not to cry. Thalia joined them. "Annabeth! Are you alright?" She said. "No. I hurt my foot because I tripped." Annabeth mumbled. "Can you stand up?" Thalia asked. Luke grasped Annabeth's hand and helped her up. She favored her right foot. "Step on your other foot." Thalia instructed.<p>

Annabeth did so, and grimaced in pain as she did. "Well, I don't think it's broken. Maybe you just sprained it. Or even better, you just turned a little too hard and it hurts a little. You will be fine." Thalia said more to herself than to Annabeth. Maybe to convince herself it was going to be okay. "Um, hate to break up the party, but we need to go." Grover said. "Our cyclops friends are coming back." They all looked back. Grover was right; they needed to get up the hill quickly. "Okay, Thalia help me get her on my back. I think I can make it." Luke said. "Okay, if you are sure." Thalia said as she helped him hoist her onto his back. Luke grabbed Annabeth's feet, which made her protest in pain. "Sorry about that." He said. Then they started running. It was extremely hard, but Luke didn't want Thalia or Grover to know that. He could hear triumphent yells coming from behind them, and knew that their dear friends were close.

"Run faster!" Grover yelled. Luke tried to, but he knew his fatigue and Annabeth's weight just was hindering them too much. Grover must've realized that, and pulled out his pipe/flute thing. He started playing a haunting melody, and Luke wasn't sure whether it was helping him or hurting the cyclops. Then one of cyclops bellowed, breaking Grover's song. "Run for it!" Grover yelled, running faster than before. Thalia was right beside him, and they were ahead of Luke and Annabeth. Luke realized that he needed to get Annabeth with Thalia or Grover and fight the cyclops again. It was the only way. Just as he was about to put Annabeth down, Thalia turned around and dashed in the cyclops' direction. "Thalia! What are you doing?" Luke yelled. He couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever. "Go Luke! Take Annabeth to safety!" She said, never turning around. He could hear the slice of her sword being taken out of it's sheath.

"HIYAAAAH!" Thalia screamed, and ran like a bullet down the hill. Luke quickly put Annabeth down, and started running after her. "THALIA, NO!" He screamed. "Luke! Stop! She wants you to be safe, and so do I! come back!" Grover yelled. "Luke, if you come after me and I survive and you don't, I will hate you forever!" Thalia screamed. "Let me do this and take care of Annabeth!" This time, Luke stopped. Grover came running, and started pushing him up the hill. Luke finally relented, picked up Annabeth, and ran up the hill. They ran all the way up to the top. What was on the other side completely made Luke forget everything he was thinking and feeling at the moment. At the bottom of the hill laid a valley. In the valley were buildings shaped in a U, a big blue house, a tennis court, a volleyball court, a beach, strawberry fields, and other random things.

What was this place? Camp Half-Blood? Was this the safe haven Grover had been talking about? It had to be. Luke put Annabeth down on the ground and turned around to see how Thalia was faring. Thalia was backing up the hill because the cyclops were driving her up. She already had a few cuts and bruises, and her face was more serious than Luke had ever seen. He wanted, needed to help her. Annabeth turned around and saw Thalia. She gasped and screamed, "Thalia! Please don't die!"

It distracted Thalia, and that moment gave one of the cyclops the upper hand. He used his fist and punched her upwards. Thalia landed a few feet away. She looked up and met Luke's eye. She was pleading with her eyes for him to leave. She was about to do something completely drastic, and didn't want Luke or Annabeth to see it. He nodded, and turned away. He lovingly picked Annabeth up and headed down the hill to the valley. Annabeth protested, and started kicking and shoving. She wanted to be with Thalia. Luke resisted her sadly. Tears were starting to streak down his face. He was a failure of a leader. He had let both Thalia and Annabeth. It wasn't supposed to be like this: Thalia fighting for her life, Annabeth shrieking, and him walking away from it all. Grover didn't follow them. He was watching Thalia and playing his flute.

Suddenly, Grover stopped. A loud clap of thunder followed, and a streak of lightning appeared in the sky. Two roars instantly followed the lighting. Luke put Annabeth down and ran back down towards Thalia. Grover didn't follow, and stayed with Annabeth. Suddenly, Luke didn't feel so fatigued and heavy-laden. Once he reached Thalia, he cradled her head in his arms. She had used lightning to defeat the cyclops, and there was nothing more than dust where the two monsters had been standing. But it had used so much of her energy, she was now dying. Her body was smoking, and some of her hair was smoldering. It cracked with energy from the blast. Her skin felt hot to the touch, and Luke's tears were welcomingly cool against her skin. He was grateful Annabeth wasn't next to them. "Why..why did you do that?" He asked. "I had to. My family was at risk. And it was the only way. You know that. Just take care of Annabeth, okay?" Thalia said. "But Thalia.." Luke trailed off. There was nothing to say anymore. He rested her head down on the grass and backed up. Then, out of nowhere, Thalia glowed with a gold color. Her body rose up and gradually changed into something. As Luke watched, he realized she was turning into a Pine Tree. She stopped glowing, and instead of Thalia..there was a strong Pine Tree. What had Luke done?


	5. Fresh Pain

_Just wanted to say a huge thank you to ChasingVictory! You're the best! One more thing..please, please, please, please, please, please, please review everybody. _

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><p>Thalia was basically gone, and it was Luke's fault. The only comforting thing was that her spirit wasn't dead and that at least she was a tree. He wasn't sure why that happened. Would he become a tree too when he died? No, that was a stupid thought. Someone turned her that way. Without realizing it, Luke hands were clenched tightlyand his heart was breaking. He needed to take care of Annabeth two times as well now. "Come on Grover, let's go to Camp Half-Blood." He said tightly. Grover nodded at the top of the hill. Annabeth watched Luke as he trudged up the hill again. "Where did Thalia go?" She asked innocently. "She's a tree." Luke answered flatly. Annabeth's face was a mixture of confusion, sadness, and horror. Luke felt the same way she looked. He propped one of her arms around his shoulders.<p>

Grover did the same to the other side, and they helped Annabeth limp down the hill towards the valley. It was a long, tedious journey down the hill. Occasionally, they got tired and put Annabeth down for a second to catch their breath. As they got closer down, kids who looked about Luke's age started noticing the trio. They gradually gathered at the base of the hill, and watched as Luke, Grover, and Annabeth struggled down. They looked hardened, like they had seen and done things that were extremely horrible. He wondered why there was such a variety of kids. They were preteens and teens for every color and culture. And there were so many of them too.

"Who are they?"Luke whispered to Grover. "The campers. You and Annabeth are going to be campers too. Don't worry, they aren't gonna hurt you or anything like that." Grover responded. Luke tried to pick out which kids looked the most friendly. He did find some guys who looked like they enjoyed pounding noobs. They were buff and had piggy eyes. They looked like their dads or moms were in the military. Luke made a mental note to avoid them. There were also some girls who were decked out in makeup and fashionable clothes. The popular group. Most of the many girls here were nothing like Thalia. Thalia had been kinda goth and independant. She had a lot of energy and drive. And she would've easily become comfortable here. Finally, Grover and Luke made it to the bottom. They deposited Annabeth on the floor, and Grover called out, "Chiron!" To Luke's surprise, a half-man, half-horse answered the call. Behind him were people like Grover; they too had hooves and fur. "Grover? You are back! Are they okay?" Chiron said. Grover turned red, and lowered his head. "Not all of them." He said. "Not all of them? What do you mean, not all of them?" Chiron queried.

When Grover didn't answer, Chiron dismissed all of the campers. Some walked away mumbling, and others were elated about Luke and Annabeth's arrival. A few girls didn't even bother hiding how excited they were about the 'cute boy who just arrived'. To Luke, that seemed so stupid at the moment. He had just lost his best friend, and now he was somewhere unfamilier with all these new, strange people. He wasn't interested in girls..come to think of it, he had never really be into girls since he had always been running away from evil creatures. When he focused back on Grover and Chiron, they were almost done with their discussion. Chiron was saying, "...Grover, you know this is going to be discussed with the Council of the Cloven Elders and it won't help you get your license. But I can see that you are suffering enough, and therefore, I won't keep bothering you about this. But, at least you got these two here safely." "Thankyou, sir." Grover whispered.

Chiron then turned toward Luke. "I'm sorry. I have been most rude. My name is Chiron, and welcome to Camp Half-Blood." He extended his hand in a friendly gesture. Out of respect and being unsure what to say, Luke took his hand and shook it. "My name is Luke Castellan, and this is Annabeth Chase." Luke said, pointing to little Annabeth on the ground. She was keenly staring at everything in sight. Her stormy colored eyes carefully were analyzing each and every thing. It probably was because she wasn't sure if this place was safe or not. Everywhere she had gone, there were monsters. He needed to keep her safe. Right then, as she was surveying all around her, Luke silently promised himself to watch her extra hard. "Annabeth." He said. She came out of her reverie, and looked up at him. "Annabeth, meet Chiron. He's a friend of Grover's, and he is going to help us." Luke continued. "You mean he's gonna make sure that you and I don't die like Thalia did?" Annabeth questioned. Luke wished with all of his being that she hadn't said that.

He knew she was simply being innocent, but it that comment held more pain and guilt than anything Luke had ever experienced before. No wound, no action, not even a thought hurt as much. He drooped his head and said tightly, "Yes, he will make sure." Chiron put his hand on Luke's shoulder. "Grover, can you make sure Annabeth gets to Chrissie? Chrissie can make sure Annabeth understands why she's here." Grover nodded, then helped Annabeth get up. She walked towards Luke, and buried her face into him. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist, and mumbled, "I love you, Luke." He hugged her back, and then gently pried her off. Annabeth joined Grover, and they walked off. It occured to Luke that for once, he trusted Grover to take care of Annabeth. And he knew that whoever Chrissie was, would take care of her too. She was going to be okay. "Now about you..." Chiron said, reverting Luke's attention back to him. "Let's go somewhere private."

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><p><em>Hope you felt Luke's pain in this chapter..he's going to have a rough time in some of the next chappies. Remember to leave a review!<em>


	6. First Day

_Just wanted to thank those who reviewed. Thank you! XD I really hope this chapter is close to the things in the books. I want to make sure that I'm not straying too far from what the books are like. And as always, please review!_

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><p>Chiron first changed from that man-horse form to an old man in a wheelchair. He then led Luke to a the big blue ranch house, and then they went to his office. Inside, the computer on the desk looked as ancient as a dinosuar, and there were Frank Sinatra posters on the wall. Not only that, but there were like a billion pictures of campers on a bulletin board. Some of them were recent, while others were decades old. Chiron pulled the chair out from under his desk and gestured for Luke to sit in it. Luke did, and waited for Chiron to speak. There were several moments of silence as Chiron closed his eyes and thought for a moment. It was awkward for Luke, but he waited patiently and studied the pictures of the campers. He had practically memorized the face of a pretty girl before Chiron spoke. "Luke." Was all he said. "Yes?" Luke asked. "I have many questions to ask you, as I am sure you do as well. But first, let me ask the questions. I want to understand everything before I explain what this place is, what it is for, and why you are here." Chiron responded.<p>

Luke nodded and said, "Okay..what is it you want to know?" "There is nothing in paticular I want to know, Luke. Just tell me your past experiences, and that should suffice. Start from the beginning." Chiron gently but sternly commanded. Luke then preceded to tell Chiron from when he first ran away from home. He didn't want to tell Chiron what happened before that...and what his mom was like. Luke told him about meeting Thalia, how they traveled and fought together, when they met Annabeth, how he gave his dagger to Annabeth and promised that they would be like family, how they encountered the cyclops that chased them across several states, and all the way up to coming to Camp Half-Blood. It was difficult for Luke to tell, and as he analyzed how he had responded to the things in his life, he realized that he had made many mistakes in caring for Thalia and Annabeth. And as his storytelling went on, he became more bitter about himself and life in general.

But summing up his entire existence was also like a breath of fresh air. It helped to see clearly more about himself. When he was done, he folded his hands in his lap and said, "That's it. I hope that answers your questions." Chiron nodded and said, "It does help me to understand you more. But you do not have an unique experience..in fact, most of the kids you saw today have delt with the same issues. You are called a half-blood: half human, half god. Because your mom is mortal, that means your dad is one of gods from Olympus." Luke was torn: he was astounded at the thought of being part god, but also he kind of expected it. He had met his dad once..and it didn't go well. He had always known his dad was different. And he had become bitter after their last father-son talk. After their talk, he didn't want to avoid monsters..he wanted to slay every single one that came into his path to let out his anger at his dad. It had usually worked..but he, Thalia, and Annabeth had gotten unecessary wounds because of it. Then they met the cyclops. Luke couldn't kill them alone, and even with Thalia's help he couldn't destroy them. So they ended up running most of the time, and then met Grover and so on. Luke realized that he was slipping into his thoughts when he heard Chiron calling his name.

"Luke? Luke are you there?" Chiron asked. "What? Oh, ya..sorry. So my dad is a god? Are you sure?" Luke asked. Chiron nodded his head. "But how?" Luke protested. "How could Greek gods exist?" Chiron smiled. "I understand that you don't believe that this is true. But it is." He then told Luke all about the gods: how they came to be, why they were in America, how one gets claimed, and other such things. Luke didn't get most of what he said, but he got the main idea: his dad was a god. Which god? Good question. Most likely Hermes or Apollo. And now he had to live in a cabin with a bunch of other kids with the same father. Annabeth probably didn't have the same parent, so she would be in a different cabin. Luke guessed that Annabeth's parent would be a goddess, since Annabeth had a stepmother when she ran away from home. He hoped she would meet people who would take care of her and that she could trust them. "Luke?" Chiron said. "Would you like a tour of Camp Half-Blood?"

To be quite honest, Luke just wanted some time alone with Annabeth. "Um actually, can I just find Annabeth and Grover?" He asked. Chiron smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry. I had forgotten what you have gone through today. I'm sure you want alone time. Yes, we can go find them." The two got up, left Chiron's office, and went outside. They walked all around the camp, looking for Grover and Annabeth. Luke saw each and every cabin, the rock climbing wall, the arena, the pavilion, the strawberry fields, and the volleyball court. As he passed the cabins, he secretly hoped that his dad would be one of the strongest gods. That would give him a reason to start loving his dad. They found Grover and Annabeth at the edge of the lake. Annabeth was throwing rocks into the water and watching the ripples. She seemed happy enough. When she saw Luke, she hobbled over to him and hugged him really tight. She started gushing about all the amazing things she had seen and done. She told him about Chrissie and how nice she was, how cool the cabins were, and how nice the campers were to her. "I'm really glad you like this place 'cuz we are gonna be here for a while." Luke told her. "Oh I do, Luke, I do. I just wish Thalia could be here with me." Annabeth said.

A pang of guilt rang through Luke's heart. Trying to change the subject, Luke said, "So um, what are you doing right now?" "Oh, I'm just spending time with Grover. We like throwing the rocks to see how far they go." Annabeth said cheerfully. "Wow, really cool." Luke admitted. Annabeth smiled and went back to her little rock pile and started throwing the rocks in the water again. Chiron smiled and said, "I see that she is a really bright girl. A daughter of Athena perhaps. Well, I'll let you alone now, Luke. Just come to the pavilion when you hear the dinner horn." Then he trotted away. Luke found a spot in the grass not to far from Annabeth, but close to Grover. Grover was playing with the strands of grass and making bracelets out of them. "So," Grover said after a few minutes of silence, "How's Camp Half-Blood so far?" "It's okay." Luke responded. "Overwhelming, huh?" Grover asked. "Ya, kinda." Luke admitted.

Then there was silence for about a half hour. During that half hour, Luke was dying inside. He was still so confused about the whole idea of Camp Half-Blood, and he was still thinking about what had happened to Thalia. That and, his stomach was growling because hadn't eaten that entire day. And it was already turning to dusk. "Look, Luke. I have to apologize for some things." Grover said. Luke pulled himself out of his pit of despair so he could listen to Grover. "Ya, but what have you done?" Luke asked. Grover hadn't done anything. "I have to apologize to you for Thalia. I should have given myself up to the cyclops instead of her. I'm a horrible satyr, and a lousy searcher..I'm really sorry that this happened to you. I blame myself for her..um, change." Grover said sadly.

"No, Grover, it's not your fault. I should have taken her place. I'm a stupid leader, and I failed her. And you know what..I wish I could just die. There isn't any point in living if you keep messing things up in your life...at least you are needed here. I'm not needed anywhere and I know it. And there is nothing you can do or say to change my mind. And if you are ever going to talk about what happened to Thalia, do it when I'm not around. I'd rather forget it, and pretend it never happened." Luke gushed angrily. He knew he was losing it, but he was so bitter with himself, he couldn't handle his grief and anger. "But Luke..." Grover protested. "Just zip it, Grover. Believe me, you don't want me to be angry with you. I have held grudges for years. Just don't talk about Thalia around me." Luke interrupted. Grover got up and dropped his grass bracelets. He gave one sad look at Luke, and walked away. Now it was just Luke and Annabeth. She was playing with the rocks still. "I don't want to talk about Thalia ever again." Luke whispered to himself as he watched the sun go down on the horizan.

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><p><em>Oh, poor Luke. He's becoming bitter inside, and in the books that bitterness built up and made him the monster he became. :'(<em>


	7. A long day

_Sorry it took me so long to finish this. I've been kinda busy. But it's here now lol. Remember to review!_

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><p>Before long, it turned dark and the dinner horn sounded in the distance. Luke could hear all the campers' happy cheers and shouts. Truth was, he didn't want to go eat out there with all those kids. But he was starving, so he called Annabeth and they started walking towards the pavilion. When they got there, most of the campers were sitting down at the picnic tables. Luke noticed that some of the tables were really crowded while others were empty. He guessed it was because the kids were sitting at their parents' tables. He still didn't know who his parent was for sure so he and Annabeth headed towards where Grover was sitting with all the other satyrs. Grover looked at him. The look was a mixture of sadness, surprise, hurt, and curiosity.<p>

"Where do we sit?" Luke asked. Grover's face didn't change, but he pointed to a table full of campers. They were all fooling around and looked like they were having the time of their lives. "Hermes' table." Grover stated bluntly. Luke nodded, and lead Annabeth in that direction. When they reached the table, the kids stopped playing around and looked at Luke and Annabeth. "Undetermined?" Someone asked. Luke had absolutely no clue what that meant, but he nodded anyway. Some of the kids let out a quiet moan, and others were silent. They were watching to see what he did.

It was an awkward silence, and Luke wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to do. Luckily, Annabeth was starving so she was the first one to speak. "Can we sit down? I'm really hungry..." As soon as she finished saying that, kids starting moving down to give room. How is it that they listen to a little girl and yet they stared at him with scorn? Ah, well, as long as Annabeth could eat, Luke didn't mind what happened to him. Both he and Annabeth squeezed into the little space they had on the bench. Some of the guys across from them were sticking peas up each other's noses and other stupid stuff. Annabeth didn't seem to mind, in fact, she seemed entertained. Then dryads and satyrs started putting platters of all kinds of food onto the picnic tables. They also started placing glass cups as well.

Luke watched as kids started commanding which drink they wanted, and to his surprise, the drink filled with the drink they ordered. Chiron raised his glass of juice and yelled out, "To the gods!" All the campers around Annabeth and him raised their full glasses and echoed his phrase: "To the gods!" Then, in turn, all the campers scooped part of their food into a bronzier and watched as it burned wonderfully. Luke guessed it was an offering to the gods. He put some chicken fingers and fries on Annabeth's plate, and told her to scoop some of her fries into the fire. She nodded, and went to do it. He watched as she, a brave little girl, put some of the french fries she really wanted to eat into the bronzier. Luke piled his plate with fries and a burger, and did the same.

While he and Annabeth ate, the guys across from them were telling them all about Hermes' cabin. Apparantly, all new kids that weren't 'claimed' yet would go to Hermes' cabin along with Hermes' kids. The guys talked about the girls at camp, the other cabins, the dryads, the satyrs, and the gods themselves. By the time Luke and Annabeth were done with their food, they pretty much knew all the could about Camp Half-Blood. "So what is your skill?" An older guy named Justin asked Luke. Luke thought about it for a moment. "I guess I'm good with swordplay..it's all I've ever done." "Cool, dude. But that doesn't help me figure out whose kid you are. Anything you could tell me that would help?" Well, Luke did have a guess on who his dad was.. but he wasn't really happy about the choice. His dad probably wasn't one of those big gods.. those strong and good-looking gods. He probably wasn't Zeus' son, or Hades', or Poseidon's, or even Ares'.. "Well, to be honest, I think I'm a son of either Apollo or Hermes."

Luke confessed. Justin's eyebrows rose when he heard that. "Oh really? Why do you say that?" Luke was starting to lose his patience.. "Look, can I figure all of this out another time? I just don't want to at the moment." Justin nodded and said, "Sure dude. Sorry, I wasn't really being considerate. You and Annabeth wanna sit with me at the singalong?" "Singalong?" Annabeth asked. She hadn't said much since she had eaten all of her food. Justin looked at her and smiled. "It's when all the campers sing at the ampitheater. We sing camp songs and do fun things like s'mores." Annabeth's eyes were sparkling at the thought of s'mores. She looked at Luke expectantly. "Sure, we'll sit with you." Luke told Justin. When another horn sounded off, all of the campers rose and headed towards the amiptheater. At the amiptheater, a huge bronzier was in the center, and there were steps all around. Kids started picking seats under these huge banners that hung over certain areas. "Where do we sit?" Luke asked Justin. "Underneath that one." Justin pointed to a gold banner with a caduceus and two snakes encircling it. It reminded Luke of the hospitals in New York City.

The three of them found a seat, and Justin told them about what was going to happen once everyone was seated. Kids filed in around them, and some of the campers in Hermes' cabin sat next to them. Once everyone sat down in their respective seats, Chiron went over to the the burning brazier in the middle of the ampitheater. He yelled out with his booming voice, "It's time for our favorite time of day: Singalong! After a long, hard day.. we can get together and sing about what matters most in life. So let's raise our voices and sing our songs!" One of the satyrs play a reed pipe, and soon everyone was singing a tune that Luke wasn't familiar with. But he looked down at Annabeth and saw that even though she didn't know the song, she was still really happy. Maybe he hadn't screwed up as much as he thought...it certainly felt like family.


End file.
